Students arrived January 18th and immediately launched into non-stop activities that are legendary at Woolman: Orientation, with fun community building games, sharing stories around the fire circle, overnight solos, an all-day trek from Woolman to the Yuba River; and the first week of the regular schedule with classes, dish crew, shared work, and community meeting. Carl Sigmond, Woolman’s Media & Technology Intern and co-teacher of the documentary class says, “What a wonderful, amazing, vibrant, incredible group of students we have this semester. There's an energy in this group that is palpable—a real sense of purpose. I can't wait to see what this semester brings.” Check out Community Intern Morgan Carney's great video that she filmmed during orientation weekend!

WOOLMAN BIDS FAREWELL TO WATTS & DE SA FAMILY

After seven and a half years of living at Woolman, two important figures in Woolman's history will be leaving. Between them, Coleman Watts and Elizabeth De Sa have worked at Woolman in a variety of capacities: teaching Environmental Science, Peace Studies, and Humanities & Ethics; managing the garden; coordinating sustainability projects; running the community intern and camping programs; and managing the IT department. "We have loved living in community—we had one of our two weddings here, Althea and Calum were both born at Madrone, and we've done a lot of growing into who we are," says Elizabeth. They leave on February 20th for two months in Virginia, and then will be heading to the UK. Many thanks from Woolman and blessings to you as you embark on the next phase of your journey.

WHERE DOES WOOLMAN GET ITS FOOD?

Amelia and Darrell unloading a bag of Giusto's sea salt, which is harvested and processed in the San Francisco Bay Area.

How does what we eat contribute to using the earth’s resources sustainably? This is a hotly debated topic on the Woolman campus. Merriam Webster defines sustainability as “being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.” Buying local, buying organic, going vegan, going vegetarian, freeganism (using what others throw away), growing your own—these are all food choices individual Woolman community members have made as ways to lessen their personal carbon footprint. Read More

VISIT FROM SAM JUSTMAN, CLASS OF 1990

One of the fun things that happens at Woolman are spontaneous visits from alum that are in the area and just have to stop by and see the place that had such a profound effect on their lives. Sam Justman attended when Woolman was a four-year boarding high school, class of 1990, and now lives in Brookings, Oregon. He stopped by last Wednesday morning in the middle of our first rain of the winter season and told us: “This place made me who I am. The biggest thing I got here was learning personal responsibility. You were in charge of getting yourself up and to class. If you didn’t go to class, you didn’t meet the criteria for the class, and would get sent home. Who would want to miss out on such a beautiful opportunity?” Sam is pictured here in the snack area in the dining hall. “This is where it all happened,“ he said. “Late night trips to get hot tea—they had bread for toast, peanut butter, jam, cream cheese—I loved this spot! This is where you recharged so you could continue studying or doing whatever you were doing.” Thanks for stopping by, Sam!

Please show your love and support for Woolman by giving to the Hamm-Henderson Scholarship Fund or the Diversity Scholarship Fund. All donations in February will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000. Together we are helping create a more equitable and sustainable world.